Sword Art Online: Tale of the Unsung Hero
by Novus Vulpes
Summary: Oliver Hays, acquires his very own NerveGear System, along with SAO, and begins his adventure in the world of Aincard.


"" - Speaking

~~ - Thoughts

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Gaming. It was the way of the future. To submerse yourself into a digital world held at your fingertips. In this world, you were the king, and your characters were your pawns. But what would happen if someone were to somehow switch those two roles around? What if WE became the characters, and someone else pulled all the strings that dictated our survival? Sounds crazy right? Well it is crazy, but one man pulled it off. His name is Kayaba Akihiko, and somewhere out there, he is pulling the strings to the first game of its kind. A virtual reality game that took an insane turn away from its roots. A game that will seal your fate in the real world should you die within the world of Aincrad. This is Sword Art Online, and right now, we're no longer just playing a game, but fighting for survival. But before we get into the now, lets take it all back to the beginning, and full grasp what the world of Aincrad held for its victims.

Wheels spun furiously as a young white male came blitzing around a corner on his bike, almost knocking over a few pedestrians that were going about their daily duties. **"Sorry!"** Called out the boy as he sped away, making a mad dash for home. His light blond hair tickled the back of his neck, wind whistling in his ears as he blazed down the side streets towards home. Upon the boys back was his backpack, which of course was stuffed with the latest in NerveGear Tech, and his own copy of Sword Art Online, the first MMO of its kind! A game that places you in its world, and not stuck to some computer monitor. A world where you were the hero, and not mindlessly controlling an avatar. The boy skidded to a halt just outside of his gated home. Kicking open the gate with his foot, the boy passed through, aimlessly throwing his bike so that it wheeled itself across the pathway, before collapsing on the grass. Before the bike had even touched the ground, the front door to the home closed, leaving the bike to be the last sound heard outside of the house.

Now inside, the boy stopped dead in his tracks, almost as if he had seen a ghost. Quietly, the boy took off his shoes, placing them neatly in a cubby, and looked up the stairs. He could see daylight shining in his room, a sign of peace and comfort, and all he had to do was go unnoticed. Oliver began calculating in his mind. **~Ok, odds are Mom is home. And if she is home, she will be in her room typing away at her computer. Dam her stay home job. Nine times out of ten, she notices when I cross the three and a half-foot distance from the top of the stairs to the safety of my bedroom. And if she doesn't notice me crossing, she knows I'm home because of the creaking stairs, which are located on the fifth, seventh, and thirteenth stairs of my fifteen step stair case. Though occasionally number nine will do the same. Skipping two stairs at a time is out of the question, the railing rattles if an ant farts. So it looks like I'm gonna have to single step, then skip a step at the creaks, and finish off with a soft toed leap across the top stair into the soft safety of my shaggy carpet... Project Sneak is a go!~**

And with that thought, Oliver Hays, the American boy of only seventeen, now living in Tokyo, Japan, set off on his first journey in Sword Art Online, the safety of his room. Oliver did what he had set his mind to, he single stepped gingerly until both of his feet were planted on the fourth stair. He picked up his right leg, and gently passed the fifth step, and landed gently on the sixth. Using his left leg, Oliver pushed off the fourth step, and continued his legs progress up and over the seventh step, and landed gently on the eighth. A short sigh of relief was let out from Oliver's lips; however, this brave new adventurer wasn't out of the ball park yet. Tightening his grip on his back pack, Oliver pressed on, single stepping his way to the next obstacle. **~Nine... Ten... Eleven... Twelve...~** Oliver thought to himself as he approached the thirteenth step. He easily stepped over, now at step fourteen, and less than a foot away from the corner of the stair case, and right in his mother's peripheral vision. Another sigh was let loose, this time however, it was more anxious than relief. Only three and a half feet kept this young man from the world of Aincrad, and all its glory. Oliver tightened up his legs, getting ready for the final soft toe leap into sanctuary.

Oliver leaped, apparently in slow motion, or that's how it felt anyway. Was it always this way? No. Something was off. There's a miscalculation. What was it? Oliver suddenly felt hopeless. His out stretched leg was more than half way through the hall, and his torso in the middle of it. Something was there, in the hall way, looming over Oliver from the shadows. Red! Lots of Red! Teeth that were held in a sinister smile! It's reaching! It's arms outstretched, ready to snatch Oliver in it's grasp **~NO! IT CAN'T BE! WHY!?~** Oliver shouted in his mind. And in an instant, Oliver was snatched by red arms, instantly causing failure to Project Sneak.

**"Olly~!"** Oliver's mother said as she pulled him into a tight hug. **"Were you trying to sneak into your room again? You know it's never going to work. I am your mother after all!~"** His mother said. Oliver let out one last sigh, and that was of defeat. **"H-hi Mom. Eh heh heh"** Oliver said, obviously showing that he had been caught. He pulled away from the grasp of his mother, and looked towards her properly so that he could talk to her normally. She was an average sized woman, having blond hair far more fair then Oliver's, and skin to boot. Her eyes however blazed a brilliant blue, looking like large sapphire's. The red sweater she wore made her look like a bloody ghost, and could easily scare most people in similar circumstances that Oliver had just experienced.**"How is everything?"** Oliver asked his mother. She held the same welcoming smile that she always had. No matter who you were, that smile always would warm your heart.** "Everything was fine today, Mrs. Lee called and asked us to dinner later tonight. So we'll be leaving around 7:30 to go visit."** His mother said in a warming tone. Oliver held back a groan fairly well, though in his mind, Oliver was letting loose a hell storm of reasons not to go. Most of them having to do with how food poisoning always seems to follow him after a meal from Mrs. Lee. Though to keep peace with his mother, Oliver was going to have to go. **"S-sure that'll be fun! I just hope it's not that lamb head surprise again..."** Oliver said, recalling his last experience with the woman's cooking.

Silence blanketed the two mere moments after Oliver made his last comment. The look on Oliver's mother's face was now more concerned than it was cheerful. **"I know what you're doing Olly. You know how much I hate those things!"** She said, referring to the NerveGear box that was protruding from his backpack. **"You can't forget what happened to Luca! Gaming is bad, and it destroys your mind! It makes you forget! It makes you stupid!"** His mother said, slightly becoming teary eyed. Oliver's eyes too teared up slightly. There was no way he could ever forget Luca, his deceased brother. A story for another time. Oliver and his mother stood in an awkward silence for what felt like and eternity, until Oliver decided to speak up. **"Mom. I can never forget what happened, don't you forget that. Sure when we were younger all we did was play games, but I can control my habits. The only time I play games is when my friends are all online, and it's only for a short while because of school. So please Mom... Just trust me."** Oliver said, his words jabbing at his mother as if he was sticking a knife through her heart. Trust. To question ones parents in the trust of their offspring was a touchy subject. Most families nowadays lacked in such a feeling. But Oliver knew his Mom far to well, and that she would be taken aback from him saying such hurtful words. Something he knew he would regret.

His mother, clearly caught off guard by the comment, changed back to her heart warming smile? This was odd. Oliver thought for sure she would've snapped. He's done it a few times before. Again, another miscalculation of his mother. The woman truly was an odd one. Oliver was surprised by his mother again pulling him into another hug. This one a lot more gentle than the last. Oliver understood this gesture, and his heart sank to his feet. He truly was an idiot. He wrapped his arms around his mother, and kissed her on the cheek. **"I'm sorry mom."** He said gently. They pulled away, and the teary eyes his mother bore were gone, yet that smile still was present. **"I trust you Olly. Don't you ever forget that."** She said, mimicking his words from earlier. Oliver returned the heart warming smile that his mother bore before saying **"Thanks mom. I'll be in-game for a bit since today is the launch, but I'll be back just in time to leave for Mrs. Lee's house. Just don't let her feed me anything weird, ok?"** Oliver said, letting loose a chuckle from his lips. His mother returned the chuckle before nodding her head, and heading back to her desk to finish her work. Oliver turned too, now facing his room. He stepped onto the shaggy carpet, letting it rub in between his toes, and gently closed the door behind him.

Oliver leaned against the door, bowing his head in shame. **~God, I can't believe I did that... I'm such an idiot.~** Oliver thought to himself. He looked back up into his room. It wasn't massive, but it was decent sized. Walls of white, decorated with a single poster, World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria. His twin sized bed was pushed up against the wall, and was neatly made with red sheets and white pillows. Across from his bed was his simple desk where all three of his computer monitors, yes three monitors, were set up. And on the far side was the highlight of his room. The window. It was massive, reaching from knee-high to the ceiling which was ten feet. It was body length and a half wide, so about seven to eight feet. And it had a large space in which one could sit a long side, and read a book, or enjoy the stars at night. It over looked the river that was by his house. Oliver could tell that sunset was getting closer due to the slight orange glow that filled his room. It truly was a remarkable sight to see, and was definitely his favorite part of his room. His arm suddenly felt heavy. Looking down, Oliver saw the NerveGear box still in his back pack. Not wasting a moment more, Oliver walked to the window and began unpacking his NerveGear as well as his copy of SAO. Oliver was familiar with how NerveGear worked, so not going over instructions wasn't necessary. He's played a few puzzle games with NerveGear Tech, but SAO was definitely the first Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, and he was one of the lucky ten thousand to get one. Oliver plugged in his helmet to an outlet, and placed his copy of SAO within the helmet. Oliver sat down at his window, letting the orange rays from the sun fill him with warmth similar, but not the same, as to that he receives from his mother. It was truly welcoming, and a perfect setting for Oliver as he takes his first steps into Aincrad. Looking down at the helmet in his hands, Oliver had a weird tingling sensation in his stomach. He wasn't too sure what to expect from this new world. But there was only one way to find out. Oliver got comfortable, then placed the helmet on his head before laying down in the orange glow of the sunset, his head resting on a pillow. He took one last glance at the sunlight, letting a smile creep upon his face. Oliver looked to the ceiling and said

**"LINK START!"**

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Hey all!

Thanks for taking the time to reading this FanFiction, it is an OC that I have created for the SAO universe. This is the first Fanfiction I have ever created, feedback is more than welcome, and greatly appreciated. I hope that you all enjoyed the read, Favorite/Follow/Review just to let me know that your interested.

Until then,

Novus Vulpes, logging out.


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